Annika of Berk
by Nydroj
Summary: Hiccup and Astrid's daughter, Annika, is taken away from them as a baby. Eighteen years later, she finds out that she's adopted and is on a quest to find her parents, and avoid her arranged marriage. But can she choose heart over duty or will she be forced into a loveless marriage? *first HTTYD fic*
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own How to Train Your Dragon**

* * *

_Annika of Berk_

Prologue  
_Hiccup's POV_

It had been two years since I found my mother, two years since I lost my father, and two years since I became the Chief of Berk. Astrid and I had gotten married the year earlier, and, during a war with our enemies, the Outcasts, our daughter, Annika, was born. And when I held her for the first time, I couldn't have been more proud of my beautiful family.

But with a war going on around us, we were afraid for our child's life.

Astrid was in our room, holding Annika in her arms, waiting for her to fall asleep. I ran into the room. "They're coming," I said, "You have to leave!"

"But what about you?" she asked worriedly as she looked at me.

"I'll be fine," I told her, "I'm the chief, I can't leave. I'll meet you when it's safe, just take Annika and go."

"I'm not leaving you!"

I held her shoulders and looked her in the eye. "Think about Annika. We can't risk her life, Astrid..."

She looked at our daughter and nodded. "Ok..."

I kissed her and pulled her towards the stairs. "Take Stormfly and get as far away from Berk as possible. I'll find you when this war is over, I promise."

A tear slipped down her cheek and she nodded. "I love you," she said quietly.

"I love you too," I replied and kissed Annika's head, "Now go."

She ran outside, carefully making her way to where Stormfly was waiting. She was so close when an enemy warrior tackled her from behind. She yelled for me and covered Annika with her arms. She turned onto her back and the warrior raised his sword above his head, ready to strike her.

Before he could, a Terrible Terror dragon rammed into him and he stumbled back in shock, dropping his weapon. The dragon turned and flew towards Astrid, she tried to move out of the way, but not before the dragon latched his talons into the blanket that was wrapped around Annika, and pulled her out of Astrid's arms. The dragon started to fly away.

"No!" Astrid yelled and ran after the dragon.

She hesitated and jumped onto Stormfly, but in all the commotion, Stormfly was confused and scared. Soon, the Terrible Terror that had taken our daughter was out of sight.

"No!" Astrid yelled desperately, tears streaming down her face.

I ran towards her. "Astrid, where's Annika?" I asked worriedly.

"One of the dragons took her..." she whispered and I pulled her into my arms.

"We'll find her..." I said quietly, a few tears slipping down my cheeks, "I promise."

* * *

Several months later, the war was won. Our next priority was to find out where Annika was, or if she was even alive. I sent new troops out everyday, starting first with a search on Outcast Island. But we found nothing.

Soon, a year had gone by, then two. And I had given up. Astrid kept telling me that we had to keep looking, and I kept telling her that our daughter was dead.

We tried to move on, but it was so hard. We had another child, a son, Antonio. We didn't tell him about Annika, instead, we raised him as our firstborn. The next chief of Berk.

* * *

_Thora's (Annika's) POV_

I lived on Berserk Island with my tribe. Other Vikings tended to stay away from the island, creating a safe haven for my people. I was the daughter, and only child, of the chief and his wife, Arne and Ingrid. They named me Thora.

As a child, they tried to get me to ride a Thunderclaw, but I wanted a more powerful dragon. They were amazed when I found and trained a baby Skrill, her name was Burning Ember, Ember for short. She was fierce but protective dragon that only listened to my commands.

As the day of my eighteenth birthday approached, I became more and more anxious. I was betrothed to Eirik, the son of the Chief of Outcast Island. Our marriage would join our two tribes. But I had never met Eirik, and I didn't want to marry a man I didn't know.

I begged my parents to call off the betrothal several times but I had been promised to him when I was only five. If the marriage was called off, a war would start.

I walked to my house quietly after taking Ember for a flight. My parents were waiting for me.

"Thora, we need to talk," my dad said.

I frowned. "Did I do something wrong...?" I asked slowly.

"No," Mom replied, "But there's something you should know before you get married."

I raised my hands. "Whoa, if it's the facts of life, I already know," I said jokingly, but then saw their serious expressions, "What's wrong?"

They were quiet for a moment and they began to explain. I listened to what they had to say, not daring to make a sound.

They found me in a Terrible Terror's nest when I was a baby, a few weeks old, abandoned. They took me in and gave me the name Thora, raising me as one of their own. And when other Vikings came looking for a little baby girl, they hid me, not wanting to risk me being that child and losing the baby they had come to love.

They finished and I took a breath. "...I'm adopted, and you didn't tell me..." I whispered, "You kept me from my birth family because you were selfish and wanted to keep me... Why didn't you tell me?!" I glared at them.

"We saved you, Thora, when you were just a little baby," Mom said, "We didn't want to give you up. But we should've told you, and we're sorry for not doing so."

I scowled. "Well who are my real parents then?!" I demanded. They didn't say anything, but I knew they knew._ "Tell me!"_

They looked at the ground and I grabbed my helmet. "Then I'll find them myself!" I yelled as I stormed out of the house.

They called after me but I didn't stop. Tears slid down my cheeks and I got onto Ember's back. I put on my helmet and said, "Let's go, Ember."

She took off towards the sea, and I looked back at my homeland. I scowled and focused on my goal: _Finding where I really belonged._

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**I don't even know what this was. But what do you guys thing? Should I continue...? I don't know, this was my first attempt at a HTTYD fanfic. **

**Tell me what you think! :)**

**Have a blessed day.  
~Nydroj**


	2. Eirik

**Disclaimer: I do not own How to Train Your Dragon**

* * *

_Annika of Berk_

Chapter One: _Eirik _  
_Thora's POV_

I was flying swiftly away from Berserk, when I heard a voice say in amusement, "And where do you think you're going, Thora?"

I sighed and glanced behind me. "Magnus, of course..." I sighed.

_Magnus-_

Nineteen year old, former Outcast Tribe boy. He had been a follow-the-rules kind of guy ever since my parents arrested him for trying to steal our dragons when he was thirteen. His was an orphan and the Outcasts didn't care enough to fight for his freedom, so when he was freed, he decided to stay. My parents, trying to show that they trusted him, appointed him as my caretaker and gave him a Thunderclaw, his name was Lighter. He was the same dragon that was suppose to be mine before I found Ember.

Over the years, we became friends, but I couldn't even go flying without him tagging along. He was a pain, but I had to deal with him.

"Ok, princess, what happened?" he asked me.

I rolled my eyes. 'Princess' was his nickname for me because I was the chief's daughter. "Stop calling me that..." I mumbled, "Nothing happened, I just wanted to take Ember out..."

"You already did," he stated, "What's wrong?"

I sighed. "I'm adopted," I said quietly, "And my parents... they hid me from my real family..."

"Oh, they told you..."

"You knew?" I looked at him with betrayal.

He nodded. "Yes, and I wanted to tell you but your parents wouldn't let me," he explained, "Where are you going?"

"I'm looking for my family, my _real_ family," I replied, "And if you know who they are, you'd be wise to tell me before I do something I regret."

I glared at him and put my hand on my dagger's hilt threateningly.

"Whoa, let's not overact, Thora," he said, raising his hands defensively, "Your parents never told me who your real family was."

"I'm going to find them, and you can't stop me."

"Who's trying to stop you? I'm going with you."

I shook my head. "I don't need anyone's help," I rolled my eyes.

"I never said I was going to help you," he smirked, "I just said that I was going with you, which makes me company, not help."

I scowled, "Fine... But I'm checking Outcast Island first." I glanced at him and saw him tense, but he didn't protest.

After an hour of flying in silence, we saw the island. "You can still turn back," I told him.

He hesitantly shook his head. "Had to come back eventually, now is as good a time as any," he replied.

We landed on the rocky terrain and the Outcast stared at me. "I'm looking for your chief," I said boldly.

After a few minutes, an eighteen year old boy walked up to me. "What do you want with my father?" he asked.

My heart started to pound in my chest. "Eirik?" I asked unsurely.

He nodded hesitantly. "Yes... Who are you?"

"Um," my cheeks turned red, "Thora... of Berserk..."

His eyes widened slightly and he looked shocked. "Oh..."

"Yeah..."

"But, it's not your eighteenth... birthday yet, is it?" he looked upset.

I shook my head quickly. "No," I told him and he looked relieved, "No, I came to look for my family..."

"Aren't they on Berserk?" he asked.

"Well, yes, but I'm looking for my birth family... I'm... adopted, apparently, and now I'm looking for my real parents..."

"Oh, what makes you think they'd be here?"

"My parents said that my family came looking for me, but I was hidden from them... And I was wondering if anyone lost their newborn daughter almost eighteen years ago... possibly taken by a Terrible Terror dragon...?"

He was quiet for a moment. "I'm not sure, but I'll ask my father if it'll help..."

I smiled, "Yes, thank you."

He motioned for us to follow and turned, walking towards a house. I looked at Magnus. "So, that's your future husband?" he said quietly as we followed Eirik.

"Apparently so..." I glanced at Eirik.

"What do you think of him?" Magnus asked.

"He's... polite..." I shrugged and made an irritated face.

"You really don't want to get married, do you?"

I sighed. "...Not to someone I don't love..."

While Eirik talked to his father, his mother introduced herself to me and Magnus. She smiled warmly. "You are a very lovely girl, Thora," she said kindly.

"Thank you, ma'am," I smiled politely, "Your son is very... charming."

She noticed my hesitation. "I know an arranged marriage must be hard," she started, "But maybe it would be easier if you and Eirik got to know each other before the wedding."

"Well..." I wasn't sure how to respond, but before I had to, Eirik walked up to us.

"No one on the island lost a child, but my dad did say that the Chief of Berk came looking for a baby girl around the time the war was over," he explained.

"The Chief of Berk? Hiccup and Astrid..." I looked at Magnus, "Do you think they could be my parents...?"

"It's possible," Magnus replied.

"Then let's go," I looked back at Eirik, "Thanks..."

He nodded, "No problem. I'll... see you in a few weeks, then..."

I cleared my throat awkwardly. "...Yeah."

"Unless, Eirik could go with you on your journey," his father suggested.

"Oh," Eirik looked at me, "I don't mind if it's alright with you."

"Um... yeah, ok, that... would be great..." I said, "But we have to leave right now so get your dragon and meet us outside quickly."

He nodded and Magnus and I went outside. We got on our dragons and waited for Eirik. After a few minutes, he landed in front of us, riding a Sword Stealer. I yelped. "No!" I protested, "No, you are not riding that thing if you're coming with us!"

Ember growled at the dragon and Magnus said, "She had a bad encounter with a Sword Stealer when she was a kid..."

"Oh..." Eirik looked at his dragon, "Well, Thief is the only dragon I ride..."

"Then you can ride with me and Ember..." I growled and glared at him.

_-Thirty Minutes Later-_

"Just tell me where I'm going!" I said angrily.

"I wouldn't need to tell you if you would just stop and ask for directions!" Eirik protested.

"Well we wouldn't _need_ directions if _you_ didn't lose the map!"

Magnus rolled his eyes. "You're already fighting like a married couple..." he muttered.

I shot him a glare. "I knew it you would only slow me down," I said, _"Both_ of you! I should've done this alone. Look, there's an island down there, let's land and see if we can figure out where we are."

We landed and I walked away from the other two, looking for something that would show which way Berk was. I was horrible at geography, but sometimes if I could just find some sort of landmark, I might be able to find Berk.

After several minutes, a large shadow passed over me and I looked up. I gasped at what I saw. The dragon started to land across the island and I ran to follow it.

I peered out at the dragon, careful not to be seen. I felt a hand on my shoulder and jumped slightly. I looked and saw Eirik. "Hey, I'm sorry I lost the map..." he said.

I shook my head and put a finger to my lips, signaling him to be quiet. I pointed at the dragon. "Is that...?" he started quietly.

I nodded, "A Night Fury."

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**Thank you for your reviews! :)**

**I'm not quite sure where this is going but... yeah. **

**Tell me what you think! :)**

**Have a blessed day,  
~Nydroj**


	3. Ember, Attack

**Disclaimer: I do not own How to Train Your Dragon**

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_Annika of Berk_

Chapter Two: _"Ember... Attack."_  
_Thora's POV_

"Go get Magnus," I whispered to Eirik.

He nodded and left, but the dragon heard his footsteps and looked towards us. I ducked down.

"Hey! Who's over there?!" I heard someone yell.

I peeked out and saw that the dragon had a rider. I stood up straight and looked at the man. "Who are you?" he asked.

"My name's Thora, I'm from the island of the Berserk," I replied.

"Thora? Are you the chief's daughter?" he asked and I nodded, "What are you doing all the way out here?"

"I'm headed to Berk, but my friends and I lost our map..." I explained.

"What business do you have on Berk?"

I hesitated, "I need to talk to the chief and his wife."

He looked interested. "Why?"

I crossed my arms. "It's personal."

He nodded. "Ok, well I can take you to Berk, if you like," he offered.

I gave a small smile. "That would be wonderful, thank you," I said, "Um... What is your name?"

"Antonio," he told me.

I nodded and Magnus and Eirik came up to me. "Guys, this is Antonio, he's going to take us to Berk," I said, "Antonio, these are my friends, Magnus and Eirik."

They greeted each other and we went to get our dragons. After another twenty minutes, we saw Berk. I took a breath, nervous. When we landed, Antonio guided us to one of the houses.

"Ok, this is where the Chief Hiccup and Astrid live," Antonio said.

"Alright, thanks," I replied with a small smile.

"Glad I could help." And with that, he walked away.

Hesitantly, I knocked on the door. After a minute, a woman, Astrid, I assumed, opened the door. "Can I help you?" she asked politely.

I glanced at Magnus and he motioned for me to speak. "Um... yes," I paused, "I'm Thora, the daughter of the chief of Berserk, and I..." I sighed.

"Are you ok...?" she asked.

"No," I said quietly, "Eighteen years ago, did you or anyone else on this island, lose a baby girl during the war against the Outcasts?" I looked at her.

Her eyes widened. "Hiccup!" she called into the house, then stared at me.

The chief came down and glanced at me. "What's wrong?" he asked Astrid.

They spoke quietly for a minute before looking back at me. "Come on in," Astrid said.

Magnus, Eirik, and I walked into the house and sat down. "What do you know about Annika...?" Astrid asked quietly.

I took a breath and rested my elbows on my knees, leaning forward. I set my head on my hands and said, "When I was a baby, my parents found me in a Terrible Terror's nest. I was alone and they adopted me... A few months later, when the war was over, my real family came looking for me, but they hid me. They won't tell me who my birth parents are so, I'm looking for them now..."

Hiccup and Astrid looked at each other, then stared at me with hopeful, but tear-filled eyes. "Then you've found them..." Astrid said quietly.

I looked at them and closed my eyes for a moment. A small smile appeared on my lips and I felt a hand on my cheek. Astrid was in front of me, studying me. She was smiling, a few tears slipping down her cheeks. I stood up and looked from her to Hiccup.

"H-How do I know that you're my real parents...?" I asked quietly.

"Your adoptive parents can confirm that we were looking for you after the war," Hiccup told me.

"Oh gosh..." I started to cry.

They hugged me tightly. My family. I smiled, crying tears of joy. After a few minutes, I pulled away and wiped my eyes. "You asked how I knew about Annika... is that what you named me?" I asked shyly, "Annika?"

They nodded. "You go by Thora now?" Hiccup said and I nodded, "The name suits you." He smiled.

"You're so beautiful," Astrid told me.

Magnus cleared his throat awkwardly and I looked at him. "Right. This is my friend, and 'caretaker', Magnus," I looked at Eirik, "And this is my... um... Eirik."

He raised an eyebrow, and Hiccup and Astrid looked interested. "Your... what...?" Hiccup asked slowly.

My cheeks reddened slightly. "We're um... betrothed, to each other..." I mumbled, "...An arranged marriage..."

"An arranged marriage? Why?" Astrid asked sympathetically.

"He's, well, the chief of the Outcasts' son and... our marriage will join our tribes..." I explained.

"I don't want my daughter to be forced into marriage," Astrid said as she looked at Hiccup.

"Well it's not your choice, now is it?" Eirik said rather rudely.

I glared at him. "As I recall, when I showed up on Outcast Island you were upset at the thought of our marriage," I stated.

"I was... I _am;_ I don't want to marry someone I don't love! But they can't change the way things are," he countered.

I sighed, knowing he was right. I was about to say something else when we heard yelling from outside. We all got up and ran outside. I froze when I saw my dad and his best warriors with him.

"Where is our daughter?!" my dad demanded as he landed his dragon and looked around.

I tried to hid behind Eirik and Magnus, but he saw me. "Thora!" he yelled angrily.

I walked towards him, looking at the ground. He got off of his dragon and stood in front of me. "Get your dragon, we're going home," he told me sternly.

I glanced back at my birth parents and said quietly, "...No."

"Excuse me?" he asked, irritated.

"You've lied to me. You kept my family away from me. Give me one good reason why I should still listen to you!" With every word, my voice grew louder and I became angrier, "You're not my father."

He grabbed my arm. "I may not be your biological father," he started angrily, "But who raised you since you were a baby?! Who cared enough to even take you in?! I could've let you die in that dragon's nest!"

He started to pull me onto his own dragon. "We are going home!"

I pulled away. _"No!"_ I yelled.

At the sound of my angry voice, Ember came up beside me and growled at my father. He let me go and I walked away from him. "Go back to Berserk," I said with my back towards him.

"You are coming back with me, young lady!"

"I am not," I clenched my fists, "Go, or else."

He laughed, "Or else _what?"_

"Ember..." I took a breath, "Attack."

Ember looked at me for a moment, then glared at my father, who quickly got onto his dragon. Ember took off towards him and Dad got his dragon into the air right before she would've rammed into them.

Ember went after them and any of the Vikings that tried to stop her. "I will be back for you, Thora!" Dad yelled.

I rolled my eyes and scowled. Magnus walked up to me. "What the heck is wrong with you?!" he grabbed my arm and looked me in the eye.

I tried to pull away from him but he tightened his grip around my arm. I winced. "Magnus, you're hurting me," I said.

He only tightened his grip further. "Good!" he shoved me backwards, "They're your _family,_ Thora! You know what Ember could do to them!"

I looked at him and saw pure fury in his eyes. "Why are you so protected of them all of a sudden?!" I demanded.

"Because they don't deserve this," he growled, "They lied because they loved you! Yes they made a mistake, but everyone deserves a second chance! _No one_ deserves to be pushed away from their family!"

That's when it clicked. And he knew that I knew what he was talking about. "I get it," I said, "This is about the Outcasts not trying to have you released when you were captured. You could've gone back to them when you were released but it was _your_ choice to stay. And 'pushed away from their family'? Really, Magnus? _What_ family? You're an _orphan!"_

He glared at me. "Was that really necessary?" he asked, hurt.

"Magnus-"

He shook his head and walked past me. I sighed as he got onto Lighter and flew away. I looked back at Eirik and my birth parents, they all looked hurt and shocked by my actions and words. I didn't even try to say anything to them, I turned and walked away.

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**Abrupt ending but whateves. So, I reached 100 followers on my fan account on Instagram! Ya'll should follow me! people_of_fanfiction **

**And tell me what you think of the chapter! :)**

**Have a blessed day.  
~Nydroj**


	4. Talking

***Unimportant Dialogue* If you want, you could pretty much skip this chapter. I was bored and I wanted them to talk. So I just wrote this, it's not very interesting but, I don't care. **

**Also, a few of you said you were confused. What were you confused about? I'll explain if I need to. Hiccup and Astrid were hurt by what Thora said and did because they were shocked that their daughter would do something like that. Thora's adoptive mom will be in the next chapter. If there's anything else you guys are confused about, just tell me. I know I tend to write confusing chapters and not explain, most of it will hopefully be explained in later chapters but it may not be if I don't know why you guys are confused.**

**So yeah. And again, unimportant chapter, you can skip if you want. Just know that there will be tension between Eirik and Thora in the next chapter but it will be explained then as well. So yeah.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own How to Train Your Dragon**

* * *

_Annika of Berk_

Chapter Three: _Talking_  
_Thora's POV_

I walked away from the village and towards the forest area of the island. I walked until I saw a valley-like area. I sat at the edge, looking down into it. I sighed.

"Thora," a voice said from behind me.

"Leave me alone..." I muttered.

Eirik sat next to me. "Why would you do that?" he asked gently, "They raised you, they're your family. Why would you send your dragon after them?"

I didn't look at him. "She won't hurt them," I replied quietly, "I trained her not to use her more dangerous attacks without my command... They'll be fine..."

"But still, why would you do that?"

"Because I was angry," I stood up, "They lied to me about my whole life... And when I met my real parents, my father brings an army to find me..."

I cross my arms and turn my back to him. "They care about you, Thora," he told me and I heard him stand up, "They only wanted to bring you back home because they don't lose you."

"...They already have."

"Thora-"

"Why do you even care?!" I spin around to face him, putting my arms to my side and clenching my fists.

He frowns. "You're my future wife, I want to talk to you," he said, "I want to help you if I can."

I scowl. "Just go away..." I blinked away tears of frustration and sadness over our arranged marriage.

"Hey," he took my hands and looked me in the eyes, "stop trying to push me away. Let me help you, Thora."

I pulled my hands away and rubbed a stray tear away. I let out a breath and looked at the ground. "...Please, just leave me alone."

He put his hand under my chin and lifted it gently. I turned my head away from him but he used his hand to turn my head again. "Stop it," I looked away again and took a step to the side.

He took my hand in his and put the other on my shoulder, pulling me towards him. And he kissed me gently. I pulled away quickly and took my dagger out of its sheath. I put it up to his throat. He looked at me emotionlessly, as if he was daring me to harm him.

I scowled and pushed him back. I turned and started to walk away. "Thora, wait," he said and put his hand on my shoulder.

"What do you want?" I asked quietly as I looked at him.

With his other hand, he took my dagger and looked at me, studying me. When I had met him, he looked at me with sadness and disappointment, now, he looked at me with curious and caring eyes.

"I... thought you were upset with me for sending Ember after my parents..." I said, confused, "So why did you..."

"You're different than I thought you'd be," he told me.

"What do you mean?"

"The way my parents spoke about you," he continued, "it sounded like you were a down-to-earth, follow-the-rules kind of girl... But you're not. You do want you want, you're determined, you're strong, you're beautiful... But you're also head-strong, overconfident, and you don't care if you hurt others as long as it means you get what you want..."

I raised an eyebrow. "So...?"

"So, I think I can change you."

I rolled my eyes. "You sound like you _want_ to marry me."

He shrugged. "There are worse people I could end up with."

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?" I crossed my arms.

He sighed and pulled me towards a tree by the edge of the valley. He motioned for me to sit down, and I did, letting my legs hang over the edge. He sat next to me and leaned against the trunk of the tree.

"If you want to keep scolding me for having Ember attack my dad, I don't want to hear it," I told him.

"No, I don't want to talk about that," he replied, "I want to talk about you."

I looked at him. "What about me?" I asked.

"Just... you. Your hobbies, your favorite things... I want to get to know you."

I sighed and asked quietly, "Can I have my dagger back? Please?"

"Not until you tell me about yourself," he smirked at me.

"Fine..." I rolled my eyes, "I'm a dragon fighter."

"You mean, you kill dragons?" he looked upset.

"I try not to."

He glanced at my dagger. "What exactly do you do in a dragon fight?" he asked.

"You've never seen one?" he shook his head, "Same thing as in dragon training. You just fight a dragon until they either figure out you're not giving up or... you kill them."

He looked back at me. "Why would you kill an innocent dragon?"

"I don't. All the dragons I fight have gone crazy and killed or tried to kill their owners. I'm not that heartless, Eirik."

"But there must be a reason they went crazy! Maybe their owners mistreated them."

I scowled. "You just don't like the fact that I kill dragons, do you?"

"It's wrong, Thora!" he glared at me, "You're not going to be able to that after we're married."

"Excuse me?!" I clenched my fists, "Who are you to tell me what I can and can't do?!"

"I won't allow you to continue killing dragons! I don't want to risk our children becoming dragon fighters."

I raised an eyebrow. "Who said anything about children?!"

"You don't want kids?" he asked skeptically.

"No way! Do I _seem_ like the motherly type?!" I crossed my arms.

"Guess not..."

I looked at him questioningly. "You actually want kids?"

He nodded and I rolled my eyes. I stood up and held my hand out. "Dagger," I said simply and he hesitantly handed it to me.

I slid it into its sheath and started to walk away.

"This is so not going to work out..." I muttered.

* * *

**I hate this chapter, it's weird, it's unneeded, it's... I don't even know. But if you did read it, thank you. **

**So yeah.**

**Have a blessed day.  
~Nydroj**


	5. The Deal

**Disclaimer: I do not own How to Train Your Dragon**

* * *

_Annika of Berk_

Chapter Four: _The Deal_  
_Thora's POV_

I walked back to the village and was greeted by Hiccup and Astrid. "Are you ok?" Astrid asked gently.

I nodded and said quietly, "I'm fine... But I have to go back to Berserk..."

"What makes you say that?" Hiccup asked me.

"Maybe I can reason with my parents... get them to call off the marriage..."

"Or maybe you go back there and they don't let you leave," Astrid said.

I shrugged. "I have to try, and besides, I'll be able to get away."

"Are you sure?" Hiccup asked.

I nodded. "And if I don't, well you're my parents, they can't keep me from you anymore."

Astrid sighed. "Ok."

As if on cue, Ember landed behind me. I got onto her back and looked at my birth family. "I'll be back soon," I told them and Ember took off.

After about an hour or so, we landed on Berserk, and was instantly surrounded by Vikings, asking questions and making sure I was alright. I got off of Ember, who growled at the people. I pushed through the crowd and walked to my house. I went inside, where my parents were talking in the living room.

"Thora!" Mom said in relief as she ran up to hug me.

I pushed her away. "I'm here to make a deal and then I'm leaving," I told them.

My father glared at me. "What kind of a deal?" he asked angrily.

"You know what kind."

He crossed his arms. _"No."_

"Please, Dad! I'll do _anything!_ I'll work as a servant, I'll give up dragon fighting-"

"Dragon fighting," Dad said thoughtfully, then he gave a sly smirk that made my stomach tighten. "You're a very good dragon fighter but can you defeat the dragon that you have trained?"

My eyes widened and my heart raced. "I refuse to fight Ember!" I protested as I clenched my fists angrily. "You _know_ how powerful she is! The only way I could get out alive would be if I were to take _her_ life, and I won't do that."

"Think about it, Thora: If you win, the marriage will be called off, however, if you lose, you will marry Eirik as planned."

"Dad," I started sternly. "if I _lose,_ I'll be _dead!"_

"You know Ember's weaknesses, you can win, and if it looks like you're about to lose, you can forfeit and order her to heel."

"I will not kill my dragon!" I looked at my mother. "Mom, _listen to me!_ Don't you want your little girl to be _happy?!"_

"I-I- of course I do," she began with a look of sympathy. "But Thora, you know your duty. You've known that you were betrothed to Eirik since we made the arrangements..."

I closed my eyes for a moment, frustrated, then looked back at my father. "...We have a deal," I told him. "The fight will be tomorrow night... I'll see you then."

I turned and started for the door. "Where are you going?" Mom asked me.

"Magnus and I had a fight, I need to talk to him."

"He's not here, honey," Mom said. "I thought he was still on Berserk with you."

I sighed and opened the door. "Then I'm going to Outcast Island..." I mumbled and left.

* * *

After a couple of hours, I landed on the island and got off of Ember's back. "Magnus!" I called. "Are you here?! We need to talk!"

There was no answer. I looked around for a few minutes before I spotted a person sitting on a rock, over looking the sea. I walked up to the rock and sat beside him. "Magnus, are you ok?" I asked.

He sighed and looked at me. He had a black eye. "What happened?" I asked worriedly.

He looked at his hands, which were resting on his lap, and said quietly, "I shouldn't have come back here..."

"Magnus, what happened?" I asked again.

"I walked into the village, they realized who I was... and they beat me up. They called me weak for not coming back after I was released, they mocked me for even getting caught in the first place..."

"Magnus," I sighed. "I'm sorry this happened to you..."

He scowled and asked harshly, "What are you even doing here?"

"I came to apologize," I replied. "I'm so sorry, Magnus, I had no right to speak to you the way I did or treat my father like that."

He glanced me then gave a small smile. "I forgive you."

I smiled and he stood up. "Come on, Princess," he said. "Let's get back to Berk."

"You mean you want to go back there?" I asked as I also stood up.

He nodded. "Well, Chief Arne and Ingrid may not be your real parents, but they still ordered me to look after you until you're eighteen."

I rolled my eyes, amused. I got on Ember and waited for Magnus to get Lighter before we started towards Berk. On the way, I told him about what had happened between me and Eirik, as well as the deal I made with my father.

"What am I supposed to do?" I asked. "I can't kill Ember but if I don't I'll either be killed or still have to marry Eirik..."

"Arne set you up and you know that," Magnus said. "Just back out of the fight, it's not worth risking your or Ember's life."

I sighed. "If I back out now, he'll never let me forget it."

"Thora..." he took a breath. "Just be careful, ok?"

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," I promised. "But, I'll need help figuring out a strategy to win without hurting Ember, you think you could help with that?"

He rolled his eyes, smiling. "I always help you plan your strategies, why would now be any different?" He looked at me kindly.

"Thanks, Magnus."

It was that moment that I realized just how much Magnus meant to me. I glanced downward, ashamed of the feeling. Despite how hard I was trying to get out of my arranged marriage, I was betrothed to Eirik, and until the marriage was officially called off, I had to remain loyal to him.

* * *

**Ok, I'm so sorry about the long wait. I was blocked for a while :/ **

**But, I hope you enjoyed it! So, Magnus or Eirik?**

**Have a blessed day,**

**~Nydroj**


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